Bottle closure



G. ZEHNBAUER.

BOTTLE CLOSURE.

APPLLCATION FILED SEPTII, [921.

l/Vl/ENTOR w ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 29, 1922.

UNITE states Parent BOTTLE CLOSURE.

T 0 all whom. it may com-em Be it known that I, CHARLES ZEI-INBAUER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle Closures, of which the following is a specification. i

This invention relates to bottle closures of sucha nature as to reliably hold the con tents of a bottle free from leakage or spilling, irrespective of the force within the bottle tending to unseal the stopper or closure, and so adapt a bottle for use in storing a liquid of effervescent nature.

Among the objects therefore of the invention is to provide a closure adapted to be applied readily to the outside of the bottle neck or mouth, the closure means being so constructed as to be adapted for re peated use on the same or a different bottle practically indefinitely as to time, and which may be applied or removed by hand without the use of a press or other mechanical means. My device therefore considering its reliability in practice and adaptability for continued repeated use, is much cheaper than mechanical closures heretofore commonly used.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a detail perspective view of the ring member.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the top of the cap.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the cap.

Fig. 4c is a vertical sectional view showing m improved closure in use.

iteferring now more specifically to the drawings I show at B the neck portion of any convenient container, such'as a soft drink bottle, having a head I) for the reception of a mechanical cap of a well known nature, The receptacle will therefore be understood as being conventional.

My closure comprises two upper parts,- a ring 10 and a cap 11. The ring has a substantially flat circular main or body por- Specification of Letters Patent. Pafigntefl Aug; 29, 1922,

Application filed September 1, 1921. Serial No. 497,793.

tion, but with its free end members 12 bent downward at. an angle to the plane of the main portion of the ring, each finger member terminating in a sharply bent curve 13.

The ring is made preferably of a good quality of spring round wire, and the finger members 12- are normally spaced slightly from each other. This ring may therefore be easily slipped or snappedoverthe head 2') and willlie within the groove 14: bounding said head. The finger pieces atthis time extend downward to about the crest of the swell 15 formed on the bottle neck below the bead. The ring is provided with a plurality of projections 16 extending laterally therefrom in the plane of the ring and preferably substantially equally spaced, and the projections on opposite sides of the finger members 12 are spaced substantially equal therefrom.

The cap v11 includes a closed top 17 and a downwardly projecting substantially cylindrical flange 18, the free lower'edge, ofwhich is flared outward slightly at 19 to facilitate the passage thereof over the bead and ring.

The flange 18is provided with a plurality J of grooves 20 formed on its inner surface and extending from the lip edge 19 upward and thence spirally around the flange. I provide as many of these grooves as there are projections 16 formed on the ring, and they are so spaced and otherwise arranged as to receive the respective projections when the cap is applied over the bead as indicated. While I show three projections and a like number of grooves it will be understood that more or less of these features might be employed. As indicated the pitch of the spiral grooves is relatively slow so that the holding effect of the cap on the ring and bead will be most reliable and may be established with a minimum amount of force on the part of the operator. Within the cap is fitted any suitable form or character of gasket 21, such as a disk of common cork or its equivalent of any suitable sanitary nature, which bears directly upon the edge of the bead when the cap is applied.

Having thus set forth the physical characteristics of the closure, its mode of'operation will be understood by the following brief summary: -When a bottle is ready to be sealed a'ring 10 is slipped over the bead as stated with the finger pieces 12 extending downward. The cap containing the disk of cork 21 is then applied with the lower open ends of the grooves 20 registering with the projections 16. The operator at this time grasps the bottle neck with the fingers of one hand and applies his thumb at the left side of the finger pieces. With the fingers of his other hand he forces the cap downward as stated and then gives it-a circular movement to the right causing the grooved portion of the cap to glide over the projections. The result of this turning is to-cause the ring to hug more sungly beneath the bead, making a practically rigid collar or carrier for the projections 16. These projections cooperating with the grooves therefore cause the cap to be forced down snugly upon the bottle neck causing the cork disk to make a positive seal upon-the edge of the bead and so preventing any possibility of contact between the contents of the bottle and the structureof the ring or cap'w-hich ordinarily are madeof metal, and also preventing any possible'leakage of the liquid or escape of any gas that may be formed therein. Because the pitch of the spiral grooves is so slow the capmay be turned to a tight position' by hand where it will remain until the bottle is to be opened. Likewise the cap may be removed when desired by hand, the thumb of one hand being applied at such time at the right of the finger pieces to prevent the ring from turning while the cap is being unscrewed. After the bottle is thus opened the cap may be sterilized ready for reapplication upon the same bottle and ring, or the cap and: ring maybe laid aside for use 011 other bottles in succession. No distortion of the cap takes place in this operation, and so it may be used repeatedly any number of times on any number of bottles in suc cession. In the practice of making temperance drinks therefore at home where the drinks are commonly made in relatively small batches, a relative small number of these caps are suflicient because of the fact of their adaptability for repeated use and manipulation without a press or other capping machine.

I claim:

1. The combination with a bottle neck having a continuous bead and a smooth seat next below said head, of a split ring applied around said head and seated in said seat and having radial projectionsextending laterally therefrom, and a cap embracing the beaded portion of'the neck and having a plurality" of spiral grooves to receive the respective ring projections.

2. A. bottle closure as set forth in claim 1 in which the ring is of wire having normally spaced ends bent at an angle to the plane of the ring to form finger pieces for holding the ring stationary while manipulating the Cap 3. A bottle closure as set forth in claim 1 in which the cap is formed with a cylindrical flange in which the grooves are formed and which flange is outwardly flared at its lower free edge;

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CHARLES 'ZEHNBAUER. 

